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These Loaded Mashed Potatoes are perfectly creamy and baked with a topping of shredded cheese and bacon. This is one of my favorite side dishes, and it will be yours too!
If you love classic mashed potatoes, just wait until you try Loaded Mashed Potatoes! This recipe takes everything you adore about a fluffy, buttery bowl of mash and levels it up with crispy bacon, melty cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
It’s the perfect side dish for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it’s also simple enough to make for a cozy weeknight dinner. Pair it with almost any protein: chicken, steak, or even meatloaf, and you’ve got a plate full of comfort.
This is the kind of recipe everyone goes back for seconds (and maybe thirds).
These Loaded Mashed Potatoes are probably my kids most requested mashed potato recipe.
How to make Loaded Mashed Potatoes:
Prep: Start by washing, peeling and then boiling your diced potatoes. Once they are boiled drain the potatoes and return to the pot so you can mash them.
Mash: Once the potatoes are mostly mashed and still warm add in the butter and sour cream.
Mash and mix more until the butter is melted and mixed throughout.
Slowly add in your milk and mash more to get your desired texture and consistency.
Season: Season the potatoes in the pot before transferring the mashed potatoes over to your casserole dish.
Bake: Once the potatoes are in the casserole dish top with the cheese and bacon. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Ingredient Notes:
- Russet Potatoes: You can use any potato you like best, but we love Russet potatoes.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter
- Sour Cream
- Milk: Add milk as needed
- Seasoning: Seasoning Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Bacon: Cooked and crumbled
- Green Onion: Sliced and diced
Directions:
Step One – Wash, peel, and dice potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover potatoes with water.
Recipe Tip
It is essential to lower the heat. If you keep your potatoes at a boil the high heat will ruin them and they will become very watery.
Step Two – Boil for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and drain water and place back into the pot.
Step Three – Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 8×11 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray then set aside.
Step Four – Use a potato masher to mash potatoes. Add in butter and sour cream and continue to mash.
Add milk slowly until you get your desired texture.
Step Five – Add seasonings to your potatoes and mix in well. Add the potatoes to your casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bacon. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Step Six – Remove from oven.
When you are ready to serve top with diced green onions and enjoy!
How to make the day before:
To make these the day before, make the mashed potatoes and place them into a casserole dish.
Allow to cool and cover with foil then place in the fridge.
How to store and reheat this recipe:
So mashed potatoes can be difficult to store. Once the potatoes are heated and cooked the starch starts to break down.
I really only recommend keeping mashed potatoes in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days once made.
Store in an airtight container and make sure they are fully cooled before packing up. To freeze, make sure they are in a freezer safe air-tight container. I would not top the mashed potatoes with the cheese and bacon until you are ready to serve them, but if you are giving them to someone it is ok to give them to them finished.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze well-wrapped portions for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Stir in a little milk to refresh creaminess.
Final Thoughts
These Loaded Mashed Potatoes are everything you love in a comforting potato dish creamy, cheesy, savory, and completely irresistible. Whether it’s a holiday meal or just a side dish for dinner, this recipe is always a huge hit.
Try some of my other favorite Mashed Potato recipes:
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes – This recipe for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes is so simple to make, and it is super creamy. Made with just a few simple ingredients this side dish goes great with a lot of different entrees.
World’s Best Mashed Potatoes – This is a recipe you will want to try! The World’s Best Mashed Potatoes, simple to make and of course tastes amazing!
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – These Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes are super easy to make and taste great, plus no boiling beforehand.
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Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Russet potatoes
- 1 stick Butter
- 1/2 cup Sour cream
- 1/4 cup Milk, (more as needed)
- 1 teaspoon Seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 slices Bacon, (cooked and crumbled)
- 1/4 cup Green onion, (sliced)
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and dice potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover potatoes with water.
- Boil for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and drain water and place back into the pot.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 8×11 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray then set aside.
- Use a potato masher to mash potatoes. Add in butter and sour cream and continue to mash. Add milk slowly until you get your desired texture.
- Add seasonings to your potatoes and mix in well. Add the potatoes to your casserole dish. Top with cheese and bacon. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven then top with green onions and serve.
